This case study describes how Fiat, the car manufacturer, created an online video to promote its Fiat 500L model, targeting UK mothers.

Instead of appealing to consumers' idealised or fantasy selves, as competitors had, Fiat hoped to appeal to the 'real selves' of mothers of young children by taking a tongue in cheek look at their lives.

The video created included a mother rapping about her life, recounting honest and amusing details that would resonate with the target market.

The video achieved 3.7m views worldwide, with a watch to share ratio of 1:24, and gained earned media coverage globally.

Automotive manufacturer Volkswagen wanted to revive its 15-year-old Sharan family car model, which had suffered from declining sales in the past few years, partly fuelled by the decline in sales in the car industry. View Summary

Automotive manufacturer Volkswagen wanted to revive its 15-year-old Sharan family car model, which had suffered from declining sales in the past few years, partly fuelled by the decline in sales in the car industry. The campaign aimed to engage fathers of families with teenage kids who wanted a modern family car in over 15 European markets. The TV campaign showed an authentic father showcasing the Sharan's features in family situations, as if he had magic powers. The print campaign emphasised the innovative details of the Sharan which were usually only found in sedans or SUVs. The TV campaign performed stronger than all competitor campaigns and Volkswagen saw an increase in market share at the expense of its rivals.

4

Toyota: Mommy Like/Daddy Like

Includes video content

Recommended by Warc editors

Trends

Best Practice

Effie Worldwide, Silver, North America Effies 2011

Minivans have always gotten a bad rap, but with the redesigned Sienna, Toyota is changing that perception. View Summary

Minivans have always gotten a bad rap, but with the redesigned Sienna, Toyota is changing that perception. With new styling and features, parents can hold their heads high. The challenge was to make the Sienna stand out from the pack and, if possible, become the minivan of choice because parents actually like it. We listened to our target and learned what media they utilized, telling us to go deep into social networking. Then we monitored the conversation, cuing us to create content that could engage in the dialogue. As a result we prepared the "Swagger Wagon" music video, which succeeded in becoming part of popular culture and gaining more than 6.3 million views on YouTube.

5

Toyota: Swagger Wagon viral video

Includes video content

Recommended by Warc editors

Trends

Best Practice

Effie Worldwide, Silver, North America Effies 2011

Minivans have always gotten a bad rap, but with the redesigned Sienna, Toyota is changing that perception. View Summary

Minivans have always gotten a bad rap, but with the redesigned Sienna, Toyota is changing that perception. With new styling and features, parents can hold their heads high. The challenge was to make the Sienna stand out from the pack and, if possible, become the minivan of choice because parents actually like it. We listened to our target and learned what media they utilized, telling us to go deep into social networking. Then we monitored the conversation, cuing us to create content that could engage in the dialogue. As a result we prepared the "Swagger Wagon" music video, which succeeded in becoming part of popular culture and gaining more than 6.3 million views on YouTube.

A new multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) from Perodua's main rival, Proto, was single-handedly propping up the Malaysian automotive category. View Summary

A new multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) from Perodua's main rival, Proto, was single-handedly propping up the Malaysian automotive category. Compared with Perodua's yet-to-launch model, the Exora had more room space, a bigger trunk and a higher-capacity engine at just the right price. However, Perodua discovered that while its target group wanted the luxury of an MPV sometimes, it sought the functionality of a car at most times. Armed with this information, it positioned the Perodua Alza as a sedan vehicle with MPV capabilities, as opposed to a smaller sedan-sized MPV - a car one moment and an MPV the next. By communicating these propositions through an integrated campaign, which ran from November 2009 to January 2010 and included social networking engagements as well as TV and press, the Perodua Alza received overwhelming support. In the first four weeks after at its launch at the end of November, twice as many Perodua Alzas were sold than Proton Exoras.

During the economic recession, automotive manufacturer Volkswagen was looking to promote its new-style campervans in the UK, for the first since time since 2003. View Summary

During the economic recession, automotive manufacturer Volkswagen was looking to promote its new-style campervans in the UK, for the first since time since 2003. The vans sit in a market of its own between MPVs and motor-homes and come equipped with a cooker, coolbox, sink and comfortably sleep up to four adults. The core audience being targeted were grown-up campers (55+ with no kids at home), active families (35+ with kids at home) and outdoor adventurers (25-54 with no kids at home). The campaign revolved around the concept of ‘escaped VW campervans’ which aimed to show how consumers could go on holiday with the vans. They were loaned to celebrities (including British radio DJ Jo Whiley and Olympic medallist Bryony Shaw) who shared their experiences via social media. Publicity was also generated through POS material in campervan outlets, a microsite and appearance of the van at summer events relevant to the target audience. The campaign received positive feedback on social media platforms.

Saatchi & Saatchi LA helped Toyota put some cool into the redesigned Sienna minivan with the 'Swagger Wagon' viral video. Their aim was to make the 'maligned and underappreciated' minivan popular among young parents. They listened to and collaborated with their target market and came up with the fictional 'Sienna' familty. TV, print and outdoor were used to set the tone but the real concentration was online. Over five million viewers watched the Youtube fictional Sienna videos.

Seat launched its new Altea XL in late 2006 into a crowded MPV market. The Seat marque appeals to a very specific group of drivers; generally, young, sporty men who see themselves as more adventurous than other motorists - values the Seat brand shared. View Summary

Seat launched its new Altea XL in late 2006 into a crowded MPV market. The Seat marque appeals to a very specific group of drivers; generally, young, sporty men who see themselves as more adventurous than other motorists - values the Seat brand shared. The Altea XL targeted the same audience, but shifted its focus to those who were starting to have families. The campaign emphasised the style benefits of the Altea XL, moving beyond the simple safety positioning that dominated the category. The result was a 25% increase in sales, with some 80% of new buyers defecting from other brands.

Toyota launched a limited edition version of the Corolla Verso in Austria to coincide with its 35th anniversary in the country. View Summary

Toyota launched a limited edition version of the Corolla Verso in Austria to coincide with its 35th anniversary in the country. A number of features were made available free of charge to new buyers, but Toyota was seeking to tap into a younger target audience with an interactive approach to build on the success following the car's launch. In order to create awareness of this limited edition, the campaign creative built on the fact that the Corolla Verso is almost the same shape as a chilli pepper. Using the tagline 'the hottest special edition of the year', posters, print adverts, animated online banners and a microsite were all used.

Toyota's entry in the compact pickup segment began in 1995 with Tacoma. However, although it was highly regarded, Tacoma was never a contender as a sales leader, especially as, in contrast to the competition, from 1998-2004 it had virtually no advertising support, and the result was declining sales and market share. View Summary

Toyota's entry in the compact pickup segment began in 1995 with Tacoma. However, although it was highly regarded, Tacoma was never a contender as a sales leader, especially as, in contrast to the competition, from 1998-2004 it had virtually no advertising support, and the result was declining sales and market share. The relaunch of the Toyota Tacoma in 2004 produced sustained success, without the significant discounting that has been fueling the sales of many major auto manufacturers.

12

Nissan - Quest Minivan Launch Campaign

Includes video content

Recommended by Warc editors

Trends

Best Practice

Effie Worldwide, Effie Awards, 2005

Nissan's Quest minivan was a laggard in a segment that was not very exciting to begin with. The new Quest, however, was totally unique and different. View Summary

Nissan's Quest minivan was a laggard in a segment that was not very exciting to begin with. The new Quest, however, was totally unique and different. Instead of following conventions by marketing to families and kids with messages about safety and innovations, Nissan would target 'Sexy Moms' and speak to them about their passions and interests outside of motherhood. The campaign propelled the Quest from an also-ran entry to a prime contender-making the Quest a player in a thoroughly entrenched segment, attracting young, affluent buyers who reflect out Sexy Mom profile.

13

Toyota - Sienna Minivan Kids Rule

Includes video content

Recommended by Warc editors

Trends

Best Practice

Effie Worldwide, Effie Awards, 2005

The 'Kids Rule' campaign was brilliant in its simplicity, in the way it effectively communicated the simple idea that kids play an extremely important role when it comes to buying a car. View Summary

The 'Kids Rule' campaign was brilliant in its simplicity, in the way it effectively communicated the simple idea that kids play an extremely important role when it comes to buying a car. The insight that a happy kid makes for a happier parent made the 'Kids Rule' campaign more effective than ever imagined. The response bears that out. Sienna doubled its market share in the last year and USA Today affirmed that directing a campaign at kids and their parents was a very smart move.

The March 2003 launch of the 2004 Toyota Sienna was the opportunity to re-position the brand, taking advantage of a significantly improved product. View Summary

The March 2003 launch of the 2004 Toyota Sienna was the opportunity to re-position the brand, taking advantage of a significantly improved product. The Sienna had been “the safest minivan ever tested” since its initial launch in 1998. This “safest” positioning had initially been effective, but sales were now declining. All minivans offer the same benefits - safety, versatility, quality, comfort, space, convenience, etc. It was not until other buyer motivations were explored that a special insight was discovered: potential minivan buyers who not face the life-stage reality that they had to buy a minivan. The growth of 7 and 8 seat SUVs suggestedthat many were buying these expensive vehicles as a minivan alternative. This insight that minivan buyers may be reluctant, or worse, indifferent, led to the proposition: “the cool minivan.” Sienna sales as a result of the campaign were up +82%, in a segment the declined by 11%. This growth was not due to spending, as SOV declined. Canada also significantly outperformed the US, where the Sienna product was basically identical, but the positioning and advertising were different — supporting the conclusion that this is an advertising/positioning success.

Campaign in 1999 for the Volkswagen Sharan. Research to understand MPV owners described, leading to tighter targeting and a different approach from competitors (not what you can do with an MPV, but what it is like to drive one). View Summary

Campaign in 1999 for the Volkswagen Sharan. Research to understand MPV owners described, leading to tighter targeting and a different approach from competitors (not what you can do with an MPV, but what it is like to drive one). Aimed at first-time MPV drivers nervous about 'sacrificing everything they like about cars to become a boring family man'. Media used: business press and newspaper sections, direct mail.

This paper describes the launch year of the new generation of Chrysler Minivans - the 1996 NS Series. View Summary

This paper describes the launch year of the new generation of Chrysler Minivans - the 1996 NS Series. It shows how advertising directly generated sales and profitability for Chrysler Canada and its dealer network. The NS series was launched into a market with overall sales down 6% and minivan sales down 2.5%. The results were unprecedented with the NS delivering +26% in unit sales, with a further +15% in average selling price. This meant that dollar sales were up 45%, against stiff competition and in a stagnant economy.

Peugeot launched the 806 in June 1994, thus marking its entry into the people carrier market. The advertising campaign, using television, posters, magazines and daily press also used children's press as children were targeted as the definitive audience and the advertising strategy revolved around role reversal between adults and children. View Summary

Peugeot launched the 806 in June 1994, thus marking its entry into the people carrier market. The advertising campaign, using television, posters, magazines and daily press also used children's press as children were targeted as the definitive audience and the advertising strategy revolved around role reversal between adults and children. The results were outstanding. By December 1994 orders for the 806 had reached 8456 units meaning that in less than six months the 806 had overtaken the market leader.

1989 relaunch campaign for the Metrocab, a new (glass-fibre) style of black cab, following its purchase by Reliant. View Summary

1989 relaunch campaign for the Metrocab, a new (glass-fibre) style of black cab, following its purchase by Reliant. Campaign to brand the product amongst taxi drivers involved giving away a Metrocab in a lottery. Small ads in trade press plus Evening Standard, to generate applications and encourage attendance at Battersea Cab Fair. Results: a fifth of London cab drivers entered the competition, a mailing list was compiled, 68 cabs were sold at the Cab Fair.